Investigators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are once again turning their gaze to the Toyota Tundra. The regulatory group's study of the popular pickup's steering mechanism already led to a recall of 790,000 units last year, which included models like the 2002-2004 Sequoia and 2001-2002 4Runner.
NHTSA's new inquiry affects some 95,000 2004 model year Tundras built after September 30, 2003, and centers on the potential failure of front suspension ball joints. The potentially faulty part has been blamed for an accident resulting in an injury.
[Source: Bloomberg News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
G @ Apr 18th 2006 11:17AM
That's because its built in the U.S. ahah
Dave J @ Apr 18th 2006 11:21AM
Another Toyota "service hug"!
Guess they [TOYota] are not much different from other auto manufacturer when it comes to defective products.
Reality is reality, now it's time to start changing your perception (and toyota underwear) about Toyota "quality"!
Somehow, I'm sure we'll hear that this ball joint issue is GM's fault. Toyota probably tried to copy GM's ball joint design and got the specs wrong!
Sgt. Hulka @ Apr 18th 2006 11:21AM
Impossible. Toyota doesn't make bad parts. Besides, the fact that they build the Prius, the world's most perfect car means that they get a free-pass for a few trucks with bad ball joints.
Ha @ Apr 18th 2006 11:33AM
#1, not true, the 4Runners are all made in Japan, Ahah...
Let me prepare your job's outsourcing papers if you're so ready and un-patriotic to rip on the U.S.A.!
I will say that non-union labor should have caught this problem, maybe Toyota's got some undercover union workers doing quality assurance now...
MadeinDetroit @ Apr 18th 2006 11:35AM
Sounds like another supplier issue really, but still,why werent Toyota's Supplier quality engineers doing validation on these parts to detect this problem? These series of "service hugs" proves that Toyotas line about "growth problems" goes much deeper than that.
jake @ Apr 18th 2006 11:35AM
The defect is because it's made in America? The great thing about the internet is that it's available to all worldwide. The bad thing about the internet is that there is a lot of anti-American sh**t on it. This blog is the same. To writer #1 above, obviously, Toyota was a pristine company, socially correct and reliable product-wise, until the big bad Americans tainted it.
Bobby @ Apr 18th 2006 11:36AM
It's probably a part sourced from the US or Mexico.
RayRay @ Apr 18th 2006 11:41AM
GM fans are gonna love this...
Ryan @ Apr 18th 2006 11:42AM
#2 Before you start bashing toyota, what do you see more on the highways? Old Toyota's or old GM's cars? Yup thats right, more Toyota's. (its very hard to see an old GM car nowadays, they ship them to 3rd world countries since their not worth anything in the states anymore)
I'll buy a TOYota versus a General Crap Special
Fabulo @ Apr 18th 2006 11:50AM
It's time to split this blog and start the "automotive recall blog".com so people who care about cars won't have to read these. And people who like to know about others cars'defects can bash on each other.
Cool idea.
Tad @ Apr 18th 2006 11:53AM
What!? A problem with a Toyota?!?! I thought Toyota was the all mighty Mecca and they never broke down or ever had anything go wrong with them? Haha, time for a reality check people. Toyota is just like any other company...nothing special.
Tad @ Apr 18th 2006 11:54AM
#7 I dont know where the heck you live but I see a lot more old GM's on the road then old Toyota's. And if I just happen to come across an old Toyota, its normally rusted to beyond recognition!
jake @ Apr 18th 2006 11:55AM
#4, I live in a northern state that uses a signifcant amount of road salt, you don't see any old Japanese cars, mainly Detroit iron.
That said, no one denies that Toyota vehicles are very reliable, but all cars are reliable nowadays. Design is where it's at, not reliability. Toyota makes a very well designed car.
Ryant @ Apr 18th 2006 12:01PM
#7, You have blinders on, let me guess you have a Prius! That alone would explain alot!
I see more old GM domestic cars on the road than TOYotas... Maybe that's becuase all the Yotas rust out and die before the GM cars. I even parked next to a mid-80's Olds wagon at work today...
You need to get out more, you can't keep counting your TOYota in the driveway!
Ryan @ Apr 18th 2006 12:09PM
#9, #11
No im not counting my Toyota I own, I live in Dallas, and Toyotas are everywhere, in Fact I work at a GM Dealership and know how many cars Gm has sold in this area:
SEWELL HUMMER 38
CREST CADILLAC 44
YATES BUICK, PONTIAC, GMC 12
And the 2007 Yukon is NOT selling, we couldn't even give them away if could. Nobody wants a gas guzzler when you can get an high mileage vehicle from Toyota that won't break down. I know that GM cars break down more, I talk to our service department manager, he told me that he WOULD never buy a GM car even if he got the "real" employee discount!
Ryant @ Apr 18th 2006 12:28PM
#12 You didn't answer the question, do you drive a Prius?
You obviously have a bias so big you cannot see the facts, showing how many cars are sold in a given period of time doesn't do any good without looking at the exact same statistics for the exact same size cars from a Toyota dealer.
Counting while driving your Prius down the road isn't very scientific either, so I religate your "facts" back to opinion/comment status.
Along with your comments about the 07 Yukon, there is another company that sells bigger vehicles than the Yukon that get WORSE gas mileage (can you think of any?) TOYota Sequoa comes to my mind.
GM sells high mileage vehicles with actual TORQUE, so you don't have to use your flinstone feet when you leave a stop light or try to merge into traffic!
As for GM vehicles breaking down more, go look at any TOYota dealership. They have a service departments FULL of broken TOYotas. IF TOYotas were so good, why do they need such large service departments?
I probably won't change your mind and that's fine this is America and you're entitled to your opinion and beliefs (at least for now; until the ACLU makes you stop), but don't go around SPEWING your lies and distorting your opinion as fact/truth.
That One Person @ Apr 18th 2006 12:34PM
Ryan...
Its amazing how many older GM cars are still on the road. The majority around here are ten years old or older. I see a lot of early 90's Buicks and Pontiacs. I drive a 94 Buick Regal and that thing is solid. I would trust it over any Toyota. I dont even know the last time I saw a ten year old Toyota. Its been a couple weeks. Hell, I rarely see new ones. The last somewhat new Toyota I saw was my friends used Camry. And that thing is starting to go and its only a 99.
My best friend worked at a body shop in a Lincoln-Mercury dealership and all they got in there were Japanese cars with horrible rust. Most of them were Toyotas and people were trying to salvage whatever was left of them. He said it was amazing how many went through there for body work or engine work.
And the new Tahoes arent selling? I see a lot more of those than anything. Definitely a lot more than Toyota's SUV's...
ted @ Apr 18th 2006 12:36PM
the other day going to work i see three toyota broke down two beside the high way and one and a 05 model on a roll back all of them trucks.but i do see a lot of toyota truck at the frist of every month.. ohh thats right thats when the goverment hands free checks out to people to lazy to work
Rob @ Apr 18th 2006 12:57PM
ALL car companies have recalls, and ALL cars eventually fall apart, so I don't know why certain people always LOVE to take these recall posts and proceed to bash [insert japanese brand here] or [insert American brand here].
That being said, my family has always bought Japanese cars (Toyotas and Hondas, mainly) because what we've bought in the past has always been very reliable (and the paint on our 94 camry is still very shiny and intact). The ONE time we bought an American car (an Oldsmobile) we had a ridiculous amount of problems, both minor and major, and luckily were able to get rid of it after an accident. Similarly, we've always noticed that our cars maintain their value well in case we ever wish to sell them back, something that can not be said for many American cars. That is just our experience however, and I'm sure others have had just the opposite happen to them.
Rob @ Apr 18th 2006 1:04PM
Ryant,
You think YOUR bias isn't obvious?
Service departments aren't only for when cars need repairing, some people actually get maintenance done there as well. Not saying that Toyotas don't need to be repaired once in a while - obviously all cars do -just that your comment makes no sense.
And no, I don't drive a prius.